Because legislatures typically only require a majority of the quorum in attendance, a majority party can be outvoted if a large number of its legislators are absent and the opposition is in full attendance. In Law, a quorum is the minimum number of members of a Deliberative body necessary to conduct the business of that group Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government particularly in a Westminster -based Parliamentary system An important part of a government whip's job is to ensure that this situation never arises; sufficient majority legislators must keep party attendance close enough to equality that the majority is slim, and the quorum cannot be busted by the departure of the majority legislators, this is difficult and can be exploited by the opposition to harass the majority. In Law, a quorum is the minimum number of members of a Deliberative body necessary to conduct the business of that group
Whip is also used to mean:
- the voting instructions issued to members by the Whip,[1] or
- in Britain, a party's endorsement of a member of parliament; to 'withdraw the whip' is to expel an MP from his political party. (The elected member in question would retain his or her seat. )
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Categories of Whip
Single Line Whip
A guide to what the party's policy would indicate, and notification of when the vote is expected to take place; this is non-binding for attendance or voting.
Two Line Whips
An instruction to attend and vote in a particular way, but without sanction; partially binding for voting, attendance required unless prior permission given by the Whip (sometimes known as double line whip).
Three Line Whip
A strict instruction to attend and vote in a particular way, breach of which could have serious consequences; binding for both attendance and voting. Non-attendance permission can be given by the Whip, but a serious reason is needed. Breach of a three-line whip can lead to expulsion from the parliamentary political group in extreme circumstances, and may lead to expulsion from the party. Consequently, three-line whips are generally only issued on key issues, such as votes of confidence and supply. A Motion of Confidence is a motion of support proposed by a government in a Parliament or other assembly of elected representatives to give members of parliament (or Loss of supply occurs where a government in a Parliamentary democracy using the Westminster System or a system derived from it is denied a supply of treasury or exchequer The nature of three line whips and the potential punishments for revolt varies dramatically among parties and legislatures.
International
Australia
In the Parliament of Australia and in the Parliaments of the six states and two self-governing territories, all the political parties have whips to ensure party discipline and carry out a variety of other functions on behalf of the party leadership. The Parliament of Australia or Commonwealth Parliament is the legislative branch of government of Australia. The most important function of the whips office is to ensure that all Members and Senators are present to take part in votes in the Chamber. Unlike in the United Kingdom Parliament, government whips do not hold official office, but they are recognised for parliamentary purposes and enjoy certain privileges in the Chamber. The Speaker addresses them as "Chief Government Whip" and "Chief Opposition Whip". The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives the lower house of the Parliament of Australia. However, Australian whips in practice play a much lesser role than in the United Kingdom, since party discipline in Australia is much tighter and genuine threats to cross the floor are much rarer. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Liberal Party Whips are appointed by the leader of the party, while The Australian Labor Party Whips are elected by the Caucus. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. Each Chief Whip is assisted by two Deputy Whips. In the Coalition one of the Deputy Whips is always the National Party whip. The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.
Similar arrangements exist in the state and territory Parliaments.
Canada
Ireland
European Union
The European Parliament's political groups such as the Socialist or EPP-ED groups have a whip, but the position is not a powerful one. In Canada the Chief Government Whip is the member of the Canadian House of Commons charged with ensuring party discipline among members of the Caucus The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach is essentially the Irish Government Chief Whip and is the most senior Minister of State. The European Parliament is unique among supranational assemblies because it organizes itself around ideological rather than national groups Individual national delegations which are part of the larger party grouping may also have their own whips. For example the UK delegation in the Socialist Group, made up of 19 Labour MEPs has its own whip, the position currently being filled by Glenis Willmott, an East Midlands MEP who was elected to the post in 2006. Glenis Willmott (born March 4, 1951) is a British politician She was appointed on January 1, 2006 to replace the late Phillip
India
In India, the concept of the whip was inherited from colonial British rule.
Malaysia
United Kingdom
In British politics, the Chief Whip of the governing party in the House of Commons is usually appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury so that the incumbent, who represents the whips in general, has a seat and a voice in the Cabinet. The Chief Whip in Malaysia is the Member of Parliament (MP from the governing party who ensures each MP votes in accordance with the party line when necessary The Chief Whip is a political office in some Legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of The Chief Whip is a political office in some Legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords In the United Kingdom, there are at five Secretaries to the Treasury, officials officially acting as secretaries to the Treasury board In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister By virtue of holding the office of Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, the Government Chief Whip has an official residence at 12 Downing Street. Downing Street is the street in London, England, which for over two hundred years has contained the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers However, the Chief Whip's office is currently located at 9 Downing Street.
United States
In the United States there are legislatures at the local (city councils, town councils, county legislatures, etc. ), state and national level. The national legislature (Congress), state legislatures, and many county and city legislative bodies are divided along party lines and have whips, as well as majority and minority leaders.
Both houses of Congress, the House of Representatives and Senate, have majority and minority whips. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives They in turn have subordinate "regional" whips. While members of Congress often vote along party lines, the influence of the whip is weaker than in the UK system. For one thing, much money is raised by individual candidates, and members of Congress are almost never ejected from a party. Also, a Whip in the United States cannot bargain with a congressman by denying promotion to a rank. Whips in the United States are also less menacing in their techniques than in the United Kingdom. That said, stepping too far outside the party's platform can limit political ambitions or ability to obtain favorable legislation.
In the Senate, the Majority Whip is the third or fourth highest-ranking individual in the majority party (the party with the greater number of legislators in a legislative body). The Majority Whip is outranked by the Majority Leader, the President Pro Tempore and, if the majority also holds the executive branch, the President of the Senate. A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Because the office of President Pro Tempore is largely honorific, usually given to the senior senator of the majority, and the President of the Senate only acts in cases of a tie, the Majority Leader holds considerably more power than his or her House counterpart and so by extension an argument could be made that the Majority Whip is the second ranking individual in terms of actual power. Similarly, in the House the Majority Whip is outranked by both the Majority Leader and the Speaker. Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door (private Caucus. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives.
In both the House and the Senate, the Minority Whip is the second highest-ranking individual in the minority party (the party with the lesser number of legislators in a legislative body), outranked only by the Minority Leader. In US politics, the minority leader is the Floor Leader of the second-largest Caucus in a legislative body
Whips in the 110th Congress
The Senate Majority Whip for the 110th Congress is Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, who reports to the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. The Assistant Majority and' Minority Leaders of the United States Senate' (commonly called Senate Majority and' Minority Whips) are the second-ranking The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders (also called Senate Floor Leaders) are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences Harry Mason Reid (born December 2 1939 is the senior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Democratic Party, as well as Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America.
The Senate Minority Whip for the 110th Congress is Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, who reports to the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The Assistant Majority and' Minority Leaders of the United States Senate' (commonly called Senate Majority and' Minority Whips) are the second-ranking This page is about the current Arizona Senator for his father a U The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders (also called Senate Floor Leaders) are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell Jr (born February 20 1942 is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America.
The House Majority Whip for the 110th Congress is Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, who reports to the House Majority Leader, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi of California. A whip in the United States House of Representatives is a member of the party leadership who comes second in line after the party's Floor leader, which James Enos "Jim" Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door (private Caucus. Steny Hamilton Hoyer (born June 14, 1939) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland's The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives. Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi (born March 26 1940 is the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.
The House Minority Whip for the 110th Congress is Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, who reports to the House Minority Leader, Representative John Boehner of Ohio. A whip in the United States House of Representatives is a member of the party leadership who comes second in line after the party's Floor leader, which Roy D Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is a Republican Politician from Missouri, representing ( map Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door (private Caucus. John Andrew Boehner ˈbeɪnɚ born November 17, 1949, is an American politician of the Republican Party who is currently serving as the Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads
Notes and references
- ^ Pandiyan, M. Veera (May 14, 2006). How the term 'Whip' came to be used in Parliament. The Star (Malaysia). The Star is the leading English-language Tabloid format Newspaper in Malaysia.
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